21 votes

Some Amazon reviews are too good to be believed. They're paid for.

14 comments

  1. [2]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. rodya
      Link Parent
      I've never written an amazon review, does anything prevent you from taking the money then changing your view / reporting them?

      I've never written an amazon review, does anything prevent you from taking the money then changing your view / reporting them?

      2 votes
  2. [2]
    FuriousMasturbator
    Link
    Amazon does little to combat fake reviews, which is why so many people can get away with buying them. Another huge reason fake reviews happen is because if your product is brand new on Amazon and...

    Amazon does little to combat fake reviews, which is why so many people can get away with buying them. Another huge reason fake reviews happen is because if your product is brand new on Amazon and you don't have an existing audience, it's almost impossible to get enough sales in order to get organic reviews. This is because only a tiny fraction of product buyers will ever bother to leave a review. I sell books on Amazon and I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but something like 1% or less of buyers actually leave a review of them.

    Amazon also ranks the best-selling products the highest in their product search results, which means a brand new product starts at the bottom and has almost no chance of making decent sales without some kind of outside promotion. The single most important thing you can do to increase your new product sales is to get some 5-star reviews, which is why so many new product sellers turn to fake review sellers for the first few reviews.

    Adding a single 5-star review to a brand new product that has no reviews can more than double the sales of it, so the incentive is very high to get good reviews as soon as possible.

    14 votes
    1. nil-admirari
      Link Parent
      I think I see paid negative reviews for competing products, particularly popular name brands. I can't prove it but the language used is suspect. I usually read the 3 star reviews first and if...

      I think I see paid negative reviews for competing products, particularly popular name brands. I can't prove it but the language used is suspect.

      I usually read the 3 star reviews first and if there is a repeating theme, I try other sources that provide reviews to assess a product before buying.

      2 votes
  3. [3]
    GetsITAndy
    Link
    Fakespot is really good for helping to sniff out the bullshit.

    Fakespot is really good for helping to sniff out the bullshit.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      huh
      Link Parent
      I've used that on quite a few items, seems fake reviews are extremely prevalent. How accurate do you consider it?

      I've used that on quite a few items, seems fake reviews are extremely prevalent. How accurate do you consider it?

      1. GetsITAndy
        Link Parent
        I can say that every thing I've bought checked with Fakespot has been fine, but that's extremely anecdotal and could just be a selection bias.

        I can say that every thing I've bought checked with Fakespot has been fine, but that's extremely anecdotal and could just be a selection bias.

  4. [2]
    SpikeyMonkey
    Link
    I was approached by pm on Reddit recently: Dodgy, though they didn't say it needed to be a five star review... Who would trust a random stranger to refund you by PayPal, though?

    I was approached by pm on Reddit recently:

    Hi, do you want to test a pixel 2xl battery case, you can purchase it without money, i just need you share your using experience on amazon, the link: [omitted]
    could you order by this link, then send me the order number and your paypal account, it will arrive your side after 2-3 days, then i refund you full money by paypal, ok?

    Dodgy, though they didn't say it needed to be a five star review...

    Who would trust a random stranger to refund you by PayPal, though?

    8 votes
    1. rkcr
      Link Parent
      Sounds like a scam to me...

      Sounds like a scam to me...

      12 votes
  5. [6]
    est
    Link
    What I am interested is, if you were Jeff Bezos, how would you design a system/platform to combat that?

    What I am interested is, if you were Jeff Bezos, how would you design a system/platform to combat that?

    2 votes
    1. [6]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [5]
        est
        Link Parent
        well that's one way to look at it. But for every nerd on this planet I think we can automate this tedious process by some more clever mechanisms?

        well that's one way to look at it. But for every nerd on this planet I think we can automate this tedious process by some more clever mechanisms?

        1 vote
        1. [5]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. [4]
            est
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            thanks for the link. It's always nice to find some real discussion on ~

            thanks for the link. It's always nice to find some real discussion on ~

            1. [3]
              Algernon_Asimov
              Link Parent
              <whispers> "She's not a bro!"

              <whispers> "She's not a bro!"

              2 votes
              1. [2]
                est
                Link Parent
                sorry I am not a native speaker. I assume you can guess "pronoun" purely base on user id? Or did you people know each other?

                sorry I am not a native speaker. I assume you can guess "pronoun" purely base on user id?

                Or did you people know each other?

                2 votes
                1. Algernon_Asimov
                  Link Parent
                  I don't know Kat. However, I recognise her username: I've seen her posting, and she has identified herself as a woman. Also, "Kat" is often short for names like "Katherine" or "Katerina", which...

                  I don't know Kat. However, I recognise her username: I've seen her posting, and she has identified herself as a woman.

                  Also, "Kat" is often short for names like "Katherine" or "Katerina", which are girls' names.

                  But I was also making the point that we shouldn't assume anyone's gender here. Like they said in this thread.

                  2 votes